Oakhurst Inn

Southern cities don’t get much more picturesque than Charlottesville, home of the legendarily scenic University of Virginia as well as Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate. And boutique hotels don’t get much more picturesque than the Oakhurst Inn, a beautiful 27-room lodging in an upscale residential neighborhood — and National Historic District — just off the university’s South Lawn.

Safe to say the location is just about as convenient as can be. In many university towns, that would mean a constant din of noise, but the Oakhurst Inn feels tucked-away and sedate. Rooms and suites are divided among a couple of well-preserved historical houses, and they combine classic architecture and contemporary design, including custom furniture, and modern boutique-hotel amenities like Malin + Goetz bath products.

Categories range from a standard with a queen bed all the way up to a sprawling Penthous Suite up under the eaves of the old house. Rather than a traditional lobby, the Oakhurst Inn features no fewer than four libraries for lounging. And while for dinner you’re at the mercy of greater Charlottesville’s (excellent) food scene, for breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch there’s the Oakhurst Inn Cafe and Espresso Bar.